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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-22-2014 02:20 PM

carrieincolorado

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie W

Oh the joy's of puppies! I remember my dobie going through that stage, he just kind of grew out of it when he realized that it got him no attention. The GSD never went through that, her thing was jumping up, it drove me NUTS it seemed to take such a long time for her to stop...and now they're both sensible grown-ups it's all a distant memory!

Oh this gives me so much hope.. thank you thank you.

02-17-2014 08:17 PM

wolfy dog

In the way past I learned that this will last until about 16 weeks of age . With WD (I wrote this dream in my planner!!) it stopped at the very day he was 16 weeks old so, since this is still fresh in my memory, I have patience and the confidence he will work through this. And it makes it much more tolerable.

02-17-2014 07:27 PM

Charlie W

Oh the joy's of puppies! I remember my dobie going through that stage, he just kind of grew out of it when he realized that it got him no attention. The GSD never went through that, her thing was jumping up, it drove me NUTS it seemed to take such a long time for her to stop...and now they're both sensible grown-ups it's all a distant memory!

02-17-2014 07:20 PM

SuperG

Ours hasn't nipped for months and months and months...ever since she learned I nip back.

SuperG

02-17-2014 07:03 PM

Sp00ks

That makes a lot of sense. Ours doesn't bite much anymore. I've told my wife when he gets bitey and defiant (for the lack of a better term) he is generally tired and wore out, needs a nap. Like a kid....

I've also seen him do these things when he is over stimulated. For instance when our son's dog comes, he goes nutz. He loves playing with her and is always excited to see her. However, he bites the crap out of her. She is a jack Russel mix and a very good dog. Yesterday he must have hurt her and she laid into him, made him cry. Which is good actually. I can usually get them both to calm down, "no biting", "leave it", etc. Sometimes I have to raise my voice to stop them for a little while and the resume play is much more civil.

I would associate your kids being the over stimulation. I think our plan with the toys and treats is awesome.

I'll have to try ice cubes and carrots.

02-17-2014 06:47 PM

Tratkins

Lol! I have learned the same with my 12 week pup! We also had trainer come to the house about a week ago for a "puppy manners" class! He was exactly what I needed. Some tips the trainer gave us that may help others too:

He said excessive biting is 1) a toy problem 2) a treat problem. 3) overtired puppy

1) I thought we had enough toys but in reality our sweet boy was already tired of his toys. He was going around those boring toys and biting my arm. We got a few more toys and have been rotating them every day or so. It's like a brand new toy when we pull it back out after he he not seen it for a day or two! He gets so excited seeing the new toy, he forgets about my hands. The other key to this is to have 2 toys going at once! When he is overly excited and comes back at me to chew me, I whip out the other one! Oh happy dog!

2) treat problem...he was tired of the same ole treats. At the suggestion of the trainer, I purchased one of the cold rolls of Nature's Pet food rolls for puppies (around $5). I cut it up into pieces for a training session. He loves it and his little brain is so tired, he usually goes back to sweet puppy after one of those little snacks and training sessions (and learns my hands produce yummies!) I am sure there are lots of other delicious things too like chicken, ground turkey, etc

He also suggested ice cubes and frozen carrots to entertain him when I just can't. This morning he wanted to play, but this mama needed to unload the dishwasher! He went through two ice cubes and I got my job done.

And finally, he goes nuts in the mornings when our 2 children (ages 7 and 10) come downstairs biting their legs etc. so I started putting 2 toys and some treats on the stairs before they get up so they are "armed and ready" to interact with him for a few minutes. I also have been making them keep treats nearby at all times so as soon as he comes for them, they can start doing some commands/treats which usually satisfies the dog and keeps the from bleeding! Lol

Hopefully we are in the home stretch of the land shark phase and you are too!

02-17-2014 06:11 PM

wolfy dog

Figuring out my landshark

It is full blown land shark mode these days. Yep, 12 + weeks old
At one point I was really, honestly getting tired of his biting and managing him despite an interesting day for DD. So, I put him in his crate to give myself a break. And what have I learned? When he goes into the zoomies/landshark mode, he is simply plain tired and needs crate time. He immediately drops "dead" and sleeps for a while.
It surely helps and once he is rested it is he sweetest pup again. Never crossed my mind until that coincidental steep learning curve.
I hope this will work with your little sharkies as well. I just decided to post this experience in case it helps some of you.